KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Actor-turned politician Vijay was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu today, ending the political uncertainty that has gripped the state since Monday. 

Clad in a black suit jacket, Vijay took oath in the presence of Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai as thousands of Vijay’s supporters cheered on. 

Nine cabinet members from his party were also sworn in today.

Vijay’s party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won 108 seats and emerged as the single largest party in its first election attempt but fell short of the 118-mark required to form the government.

The actor, however, managed to muster the support of 120 assemblymen yesterday with the help of Indian National Congress and several smaller, left-wing parties. 

Vijay, 51, is the first actor to rule Tamil Nadu in a decade after J. Jayalalithaa in 2016 and is also the third-youngest chief minister to helm the state.

One of India’s highest paid actors, Vijay — fondly hailed by his fans as “Thalapathy” which means commander in Tamil — had been signalling his political entry through blockbuster hits like Thalaivaa (2013) and Sarkar (2018).

He made his political foray by launching the TVK in 2024 and announced his retirement from cinema to take up politics full-time last year.

Vijay swept to victory campaigning against Tamil Nadu’s former ruling party Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the central government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has also promised to stamp out corruption, increase job opportunities and improve safety for women. 

Vijay himself won the Trichy East and Perambur seats but is expected to vacate one of the seats in accordance to India’s election laws.